January 11, 2015

Aiding a damsel in distress

A FRIEND OF MINE is an experienced
boater. He owns a sweet 30-foot trawler, a tugboat design, and he’s planning to
do some extensive cruising up the Inside Passage to Alaska with his sweetheart.
She’s very keen to go, too, but she is not a sailor and she very sensibly worries
about what might happen if her skipper became incapacitated while they’re
traveling.

To look at him, I wouldn’t say he’s likely to become incapacitated.I mean, he’s not likely to fall down drunk or
anything, and his health is good, but I suppose there is always a chance that
the unexpected might happen. And I think this is why a lot of boating couples
have a problem with cruising without any other crew on board.

When this particular lady mentioned
her anxiety she told me that she was trying to learn as much about boating —
sailing and powerboating — as she possibly could in the shortest possible time.
She hoped to become a competent crew that way. But she still wondered whether
she’d be able to handle the boat in an emergency, and, worse still, the navigation.
“Lots of islands,” she said with furrowed brow. “Lots of rocks. Strong
currents.”

While I applaud her efforts to
become a proficient sailor, my feeling is that there is a quicker way to ease
her mind, especially when they are cruising in areas not too far from land, or
where other vessels are likely to be operating.

I advised her first to concentrate
on learning how to broadcast an emergency message on the radio. Forget about
trying to handle the boat, unless it appears to be absolutely necessary, I
said. Forget about trying to navigate.Easy as it seems to be with a GPS chart plotter, navigation needs knowhow
and practice. Don’t assume these responsibilities yet. Learn how to slow the
engine, and put her in neutral. Then let the boat drift while you call for
help.

Learn to make a proper Mayday call
on Channel 16 VHF. This is preferable to using a cell phone, even if you can
get service, because a radio signal goes out to every boat in your immediate
area and is likely to be picked up by the Coast Guard also.They will co-ordinate your rescue and
organize help for your skipper. Modern VHF radios linked to a GPS receiver will
automatically broadcast your Mayday and your latitude and longitude.

If the Coast Guard doesn’t pick up
your call straight away, there’s a good chance that some vessel in the vicinity
will hear you and either come to your aid, or alert the Coast Guard with a more
powerful radio than yours.

You can call the Coast Guard on a
cell phone, I added, or call 911, and they’ll put you through. You can also use
a satellite phone, if you have one, and several other devices that will link
you to help. But first concentrate on learning to make a VHF call on Channel 16.
That won’t take long.

That should ease your anxiety and
make cruising much more pleasant.Oh,
and one other thing, possibly. You might also want to learn how to drop the
anchor.That shouldn’t take long,
either. Just chuck it overboard along with all the line or chain attached to
it. Then you make your call and sit back and wait for the gallant White Knights
to come charging along to aid the damsel in distress.

Today’s
Thought

All
speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and
prepared hearer.

1 comment:

John, I enjoy your musings and take the point that knowing how to properly call for help and secure a boat are two good, basic safety protocols. But shouldn't the focus be on making reasonable preparations to be safe -- rather than easing the "damsel's" "anxiety"? Basic operation of the engine, overboard recovery, etc. That sounds like a weekend's practice to me. The courtly metaphor doesn't really hit the mark. Much better to sail with competent crew. Having witnessed an unsuccessful drowning rescue after a spouse wasn't able to recover her husband, I can say that I'd be much happier sailing with competent crew than with one whose "anxiety" is assuaged.